Smokers - Charcoal, gas, electric, etc. HELP!

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #20 on:** 4 Feb 2017, 02:14 am »

Quote from: marvda1 on 4 Feb 2017, 02:05 am

all you need
https://mgrills.com/

THAT... is a good lookin' machine!

I have yet to hear anything about then from the BBQ dudes. I'll have to bring it to their attention.
Thank you!

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #21 on:** 4 Feb 2017, 02:17 am »

Hmm... Seems there are 18 threads in the past year about Mgrills!

StevenZ · « **Reply #22 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 03:35 pm »

Well, I pulled the trigger on a pellet pooper yesterday. I ordered up the Grilla Grills Silverbac. Hopefully shipping this week. Takes 7-10 days for delivery. Can't wait for it to arrive so I can get smokin'. Pork ribs are going to be my first meats, along with bacon wrapped jalapenos. Will definitely post pics when it arrives and when I'm cookin'. Thanks for the advice guys!

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #23 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 03:53 pm »

Cool!

Run it for a while to burn out any nasty smells/chemicals.
One thing some of the BBQ guys do will layer the entire grate with cheap white bread and set it on 250 degrees for a while.
This will tell you where the hot spots and cold spots are based on how the bread darkens.

Like this:

PeteG · « **Reply #24 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 03:57 pm »

Bob, that's a great idea.

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #25 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 04:00 pm »

Thanks Pete!
I wish it was mine though. All I can take credit for is passing along the idea.

StevenZ · « **Reply #26 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 04:08 pm »

Wow, that's such a good idea and so easy. Thanks for the support. I'm def. going to give it a thorough burn-in. Even my wife is super excited about this purchase, which is great to have her support as well. We're both lovers of smoked BBQ and now we can finally do some at home, though maybe not as good as we can get at the local joints, but maybe better? I look forward to learning the new smoker/grill and testing out my own skills with various meats done different ways.

What's really interesting to me is that most pellet grills actually don't suggest using water pans. I'd assume because the water adds so much humidity that it could hinder the way the pellets cook. That's my best guess.

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #27 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 04:36 pm »

I've not used a PP (pellet pooper), so I'm not sure about the water. I'm sure it would effect it to some extent, but the pellets are stored outboard of the fire/cookbox, so they won't be seeing the humidity from the pan.
Try it though, you'll never know unless you give it a shot.
I've all but stopped using water in mine, mainly just it's another step, and another mess to clean up.

I enjoy spending other peoples money, so if you need advise on where to buy "accessories" and such, just let me know.

I just spent $50 on rubs.

Also, since you're buying BBQ equipment.... check your grate cleaning brush.
Most likely the one you have is dangerous and should be thrown away.
Most brushes will shed their bristles. Those bristles will stick to the grate because of the grease. The bristle will then stick to your food and you'll ingest it. There are many occurrences of folks in the hospital with a little sliver of metal in their digestive tract.

S Clark · « **Reply #28 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 04:56 pm »

BISL, I've been a bit paranoid about cleaning with a steel brush for years, but I don't see any better options than simply giving the grate a good lookover after brushing. What are you using? Where did you get it?

Scott

StevenZ · « **Reply #29 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 05:11 pm »

Funny timing you mentioning the cleaning of the grates
I just orderd this foe the very reason of bristle loss. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AJGE9WY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487178585&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=CookinPellets

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #30 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 05:19 pm »

Scott, I use tongs to hold a paper towel drizzled with canola oil to clean the grate (after I've scraped it with the metal scraper tool).
The units that look like this are the safe ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Barbecue-Stainless-Porcelain-Cave-Tools/dp/B00CATVET0

EDIT: Well crap. The Amazon photo won't show. There's the link. ^^^^

StevenZ · « **Reply #31 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 06:58 pm »

A bit off topic here, but just thought I'd share this YouTube channel that is pure food porn. Hope you guys enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVVAnxQ2YMC_qlc7QfPA2YQ/videos

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #32 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 09:01 pm »

Indeed!

I discovered those guys a couple weeks ago. It's a Father and Son that live in Serbia.
They can make food that isn't appealing to you look amazing! Their beef is incredibly lean, almost looks like venison.
I subscribed to their channel instantly.

StevenZ · « **Reply #33 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 09:34 pm »

So now the big questions.... pellets... And thermometers? Looks like Thermoworks Smoke and Maverick ET-733 are top of the heap. Any others I should be on the lookout for?

Just ordered two 40lb bags of pellets from Cookinpellets via Amazon. Looks like Rec Tec also makes a good pellet as well as Pit Boss. Any others?

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #34 on:** 15 Feb 2017, 10:14 pm »

You can't go wrong with the two names you listed.
Here's a couple more for you:
- iGrill2 by Weber - It's got Bluetooth, so you can see the temps on your phone.

- Thermoworks TW8060
- ThermaQ (how much money you got?)

I like the probes that go in for the entire cook. Some guys like the instant read units.
Thermoworks is the "go to" brand for instant read units.

Not sure about the pellets, since I don't have a pooper, I never gave them any though.
But you can not only get different flavors, you can mix them for a "hybrid" flavor.

StevenZ · « **Reply #35 on:** 16 Feb 2017, 05:52 pm »

Loading up the Amazon cart... So we have

Gamma Seal Lid w/5 gallon food grade bucket (to keep pellets away from the moisture)

Winware Stainless Steel Dredge 10-oz. w/handle

Bulman all steel paper cutter 24" wide

24" x 150' Pink/Peach butcher paper

And I'm saving up for the ThemoQ Meathead kit (this one might take a while along with some heavy ass-kissing towards the wife)

Am I missing anything? Other than meats and seasonings?

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #36 on:** 16 Feb 2017, 06:24 pm »

Quote from: StevenZ on 16 Feb 2017, 05:52 pm

Am I missing anything? Other than meats and seasonings?

"RECIPES"

Here's what I get my rubs;
https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/bbq-rubs

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #37 on:** 19 Feb 2017, 03:02 pm »

Quote from: S Clark on 15 Feb 2017, 04:56 pm

BISL, I've been a bit paranoid about cleaning with a steel brush for years, but I don't see any better options than simply giving the grate a good lookover after brushing. What are you using? Where did you get it?

Scott

Well Scott, I bought one of these yesterday.
Have not used it yet, but it's the safe kind as the bristles are twisted into the wire, instead of jammed into a wood or plastic hole.

VinceT · « **Reply #38 on:** 20 Jul 2020, 02:07 pm »

I have a WSM and PK grill. Only charcoal and wood for me.

I can't imagine ever needing anything else.

StevenZ · « **Reply #39 on:** 20 Jul 2020, 02:18 pm »

Wow, completely forgot about this thread.

It's been a heck of a ride. I had the Grilla Grills Silverbac for a few years and it worked great but was never really giving me the flavor I wanted. Then I purchased a Pit Barrel Cooker that was pretty neat and gave me some delicious results I quickly realized it's not meant for brisket. It burned the meat a lot by hanging and the grill wasn't wide enough for the larger cuts I wanted to smoke, or even racks of ribs.

That lead me to sell my old Weber 22 Grilla Silverbac and go for a Weber 26" kettle along with a MAK Grills 2 Star General. This combo is everything I need. Amazing reliability and build quality with the MAK and the space I need for grilling for my large family or even smoking some meats on the 26" if i want that charcoal flavor.

But, I feel I'm not done. I'm wanting an ugly drum smoker now... More to come when budget allows.